Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, General, Volume I

840.48 Refugees/9–2044: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Sweden (Johnson)¹³

Washington, September 20, 1944—6 p.m.

1883. The following for Olsen is WRB 86. Several thousand Lithuanian Jews are reported held in camp Krotingen, in Lithuanian-East Prussian border region. Seventy-five hundred are said to have been deported from Kaunas to East Prussia.¹⁴ Great anxiety is felt here for their lives. Please urgently endeavor to extend to the Krotingen inmates and any Jewish deportees from Baltic states in East Prussia the measures indicated by you in your 3565 [3605] of September 11¹⁵ as now being applied to Jews remaining in Baltic countries.

It is reported that many Jews, perhaps 60,000 persons, survive in Lodz, Poland. It is feared that they may be massacred as a prelude to German retreat. Please use whatever means are at your command and take such measures as may be feasible to avert any such tragedy.

With reference to persistent reports of renewed or impending deportations of Jews from Hungary and Slovakia by order of German authorities, you are requested unofficially to convey to appropriate individual German officials through all channels that may be available to you the strongest possible representations against these deportations. You should make clear this Government’s unflinching determination to see to it that all persons participating in any form whatsoever in these deportations or in any other form of persecution are apprehended and punished. Wallenberg’s contacts as well as your own may be used in this connection.

The Germans are removing from civilian internment camps Polish and other Jews holding documents issued in the names of American Republics. As a result of Board’s efforts, the United States and other American Republics have informed the German Government through their protecting powers that such documents must be deemed valid and that such persons must be treated in the same manner as unquestioned nationals of these countries. Nevertheless, removals continue, presumably to extermination centers. Please endeavor through any unofficial channels that may be available to you to convey the sense of the following to appropriate German officials: Foreign Office and other officials who bear any responsibility for the consignment of persons to whom documents have been issued in the name of an American Republic to extermination or other forms of persecution must expect personally to bear the consequences. If American Republics, horrified by the bestiality and brutality of Nazi mass-slaughter accord to some persons the protection of their passports or other documents, individual officials of the German and satellite foreign offices and foreign police ought to be anxious to avail themselves of such or any other opportunity to save innocent lives. If, instead, they indulge in fine reasoning and take action which is tantamount to sentencing such persons to persecution or death, they thereby assume the responsibility and invite the consequences therefor. Furthermore, their failure to seize every available opportunity to save lives will be considered as strong evidence of their concurrence with the policy of mass-slaughters of Jews and other civilian populations and their participation in such crimes, the consequences for which formed the subject of President Roosevelt’s statement of March 24.¹⁶

Hull

13. The Minister in Sweden replied in telegram 3955, September 29, 1944, that every effort would be made to enter into any practicable arrangement that would mitigate the circumstances described in Department’s telegram No. 1883. (840.48–Refugees/9–2944)
14. In telegram 3235, September 19, 1944, 8 p.m., to Bern the Department requested that inquiry be made concerning this matter and that Intercross, with view of preserving inmates from death, take steps to include them in its program. (840.48 Refugees/9–1944)
15. Not printed; reference was made to approaches by a German group “to freeing Baltic Jews against 2,000,000 Swedish kronor of civilian relief supplies for German bombed-out population”; in the meantime, it was stated that German authorities had issued strict orders to stop further Jewish persecutions in the Baltic countries (840.48 Refugees/9–1144).
16. Post, p. 1230.